Dr. Gordon Day, Ph.D Creator and Director of the Vantage Point by Aspiro adventure program

Dr. Gordon Day, Ph.D Creator and Director of the Vantage Point by Aspiro adventure program "Quirky kids in an outdoor wilderness setting"

Monday June 8th 12noon - 1pm PST Vantage Point by Aspiro is a clinically advanced, short term, outdoor, adventure therapy and assessment program LA Talk Radio Monday 12noon - 1pm PST - Channel 1 - Listen Live! Troubled Teen Help on LA Talk Radio

Adventure Program for Troubled Teen Boys and Girls

Vantage Point by Aspiro is a clinically advanced, short term, outdoor, adventure therapy and assessment program. Aspiro is licensed by the state of Utah as an outdoor therapeutic program for adolescent boys and girls ages 13 through 17.

At Vantage Point, we specialize in helping students with a wide range of learning, neurodevelopmental, emotional, psychological and behavioral difficulties.

Our passion is providing a safe, supportive, therapeutic experience for your child.

Our students benefit from facing challenges and experiencing success in a high adventure therapy model.

We believe that accurate assessment and understanding of the whole child, combined with specific skill building and self efficacy, are essential to overcoming learning and neurodevelopmental issues. Our base camp provides safety, flexibility and accessibility. Program length is flexible according to the needs of each student and averages six to twelve weeks.

Vantage Point by Aspiro provides cutting edge assessment and customized treatment:

• Comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessment is available onsite and in the community
• Individualized, specific training in social, emotional, behavioral, communication and academic skills
• Confidence, motivation and self efficacy builds through safe and challenging adventure experiences
• Physical and emotional well being are constantly monitored
• Treatment goals are updated on a weekly basis
• Communication with parents and referral sources is of utmost importance
• Functional assessment of student strengths and needs results in integrated recommendations for further
treatment

Vantage Point by Aspiro is a dynamic program designed specifically for students with:

• ADD, ADHD, Attention problems
• Executive Function Deficits
• Language based learning difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, reading disorders and receptive or
expressive language problems
• Nonverbal Learning Disorders
• Pervasive Developmental Disorders such as Asperger Syndrome
• Mild traumatic brain injury • Social difficulties

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The larger question is ......

By: Brian Church, V.P. Business Development

A very good friend of mine passed this quote along a couple of weeks ago. I love it because it is so descriptive of what students and employees experience at all of the Aspiro programs. This quote is a perfect precursor to our next blog entry by Dan LeMaire which will be posted later today or tomorrow. I thought I would share it with all for your enjoyment:

"Everest is a pressure cooker that forces us into rigorous self-examination. Part of Everest's magic rests in the painful reality we find inside us. Everest exposes things about ourselves we often successfully hide at more reasonable altitudes."

"The larger question is ultimately, will we hide from our new self-knowledge, or will we change and grow from it? Most searingly difficult experiences are like this. They are characterized by pain and loss, achievement and gain. The only guarantee of failure comes from our refusal to grow from our new self knowledge."

--Alan Hobsen

Why We Still Work for Vantage Point by Aspiro...

By: Jodi Escalante, Assistant Program Director

I never would have guessed that my husband, Michael and I would still be working at the Aspiro group of programs (Vantage Point by Aspiro, Kairos & Aspiro). When we first heard about Aspiro, we had only been married about 6 months. We were both attending college and thought this would be a fun summer job, where we would get to work together. We had both worked in traditional wilderness programs before, but never together. And just to sound cliché, we started an adventure that we’ve yet to end.

That first summer was truly amazing: canoeing on beautiful Lake Powell, exploring the majestic slot canyons of Central and Southern Utah, exploring caves and rappelling, rock climbing all across the state, and hiking through the most beautiful areas that I never knew existed. In the fall, we returned to school to finish our undergraduate studies, but every weekend we traveled out to our groups and trained the newer guides.

When Michael and I graduated (April 2007), we returned to Vantage Point/Aspiro/Kairos full time because we were hooked. As noted earlier, we had both worked for primitive model wilderness programs.

However, after working at Aspiro neither of us could imagine working at a wilderness program without the ADVENTURE. We pushed our students harder, faster, and farther than either of us had previously experienced. Since that first summer at the Aspiro group of programs, I have embarked on so many beautiful and amazing adventures and have built some unforgettable relationships with students. I guess that’s my other favorite thing about Aspiro: we emphasize stronger relationships than the norm. Given the high impact adventures, we have an amazing opportunity to help someone through a physically or emotionally challenging experience, to push them beyond their comfort zone to higher ground. And when the dust settles and the high fives and hugs are done, and they’ve overcome their seemingly impassible struggles, we learn from the metaphors; teacher and student alike.